IPL 2026: Mumbai Indians restrict to 147/8 as Kolkata Knight Riders dominate with ball
Kolkata, May 20
Kolkata Knight Riders produced a disciplined bowling effort to restrict Mumbai Indians to a modest total of 147/8 in their Indian Premier League 2026 clash at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday.
After being asked to bat first, the MI made a cautious start, reaching 10/0 in the first two overs. However, the third over proved costly as KKR all-rounder Cameron Green struck twice in quick succession, first removing Ryan Rickelton for six runs on the third delivery and then dismissing Naman Dhir for a three-ball duck on the final ball of the over.
The pressure continued in the very next over when Saurabh Dubey sent back Rohit Sharma for 15, leaving MI struggling at 24/3 after four overs.
Dubey struck again in the sixth over, getting rid of Suryakumar Yadav for 15, as the MI finished the powerplay at 46/4 under mounting pressure.
After the end of the eighth over, MI batters Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya took the team to 57/4. However, rain then interrupted play, forcing a temporary halt in proceedings.
Following the resumption, both batters resumed cautiously as MI reached 64/4 at the halfway stage of the innings, continuing to rebuild after early setbacks.
During the fourth ball of the 14th over, pacer Kartik Tyagi struck for the first time, dismissing Tilak Varma for 20 runs as Mumbai slipped further to 88/5, continuing their struggle to build momentum.
Mumbai's batting collapse continued as skipper Hardik Pandya was dismissed for 26 runs, with veteran spinner Sunil Narine clean bowling him on the second delivery of the 16th over, leaving MI further under pressure in their innings.
During the fourth ball of the 17th over, Will Jacks was run out for 14 following a major mix-up with Corbin Bosch. At the end of the 18th over, MI were left struggling at 115/7 as wickets continued to tumble in their innings.
In the final stages of the innings, Corbin Bosch played a valuable, unbeaten knock of 32 off 18 balls to help MI reach a respectable total of 147/8 in 20 overs.
For KKR, Saurabh finished with figures of 2/34, Cameron Green picked up 2/23, Kartik Tyagi returned 2/37, while Sunil Narine chipped in with 1/13 as the bowling unit shared the wickets to restrict MI.
— ANI
Reader Comments
That rain interruption actually helped MI a bit but still they messed it up. Corbin Bosch played well at the end, 32 not out from 18 balls, but Mumbai need to rethink their batting order. Hardik Pandya as captain hasn't been convincing with the bat either - only 26 runs is not enough from a skipper. KKR definitely have the upper hand here! 👏
As an Australian following the IPL, I've been impressed by how KKR's bowling unit clicks together. Sunil Narine with 1/13 in 4 overs is pure class. But I'm a bit disappointed with MI's performance - they have big names but can't seem to build partnerships. At least Bosch showed some fight at the end with that cameo. Let's see if the KKR batsmen can chase this down comfortably. 🏏
Arre yaar, MI ka performance toh ekdum bekar tha! 24/3 after 4 overs is not how you start a match. But credit to KKR bowlers - Green and Dubey ki bowling dekh ke maza aa gaya. And Narine bhai still going strong at this age! 147/8 is chaseable but KKR need to be careful. Agar early wickets gir gaye toh match interesting ho sakta hai. 🔥
Being from the UK, I've followed the IPL for years and this KKR bowling performance was top-notch. However, I think MI might have slightly underperformed - 147 seems about 20-25 runs short of par on this Eden Gardens pitch. Cameron Green's spell was excellent - 2/23 and he removed both openers. KKR should chase this easily if they don't lose early wickets. But you never know in T20 cricket! 🏏
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